“We are very pleased with the Meta government and especially with the prime minister” The Albanian Prime Minister meets with the U.S. Secretary of State and Attorney General Reno Prime Minister Meta met yesterday in the United States of America with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The 90-minute meeting was an entirely optimistic statement about relations between the USA and Albania. Both Meta and Albright stressed that relations are excellent. The U.S. Secretary of State greatly praised the Albanian government’s work to establish law and order, stability and peace in the country, as well as to serve stability in the region and reform the judicial system. She stressed that Prime Minister Meta belongs to the new generation of Albanian politicians; he is a man with a great deal of energy that he can put to even greater use in the future. The U.S. Secretary of State expressed satisfaction with the government’s efforts to create conditions for business development. “A clean and transparent business environment is important,” said the iron lady. She could not fail to mention the privatization of the public economy as one of the most important achievements of the Meta government. On the subject of local elections in Albania, the U.S. Secretary of State praised the government’s efforts to ensure a transparent process and free and democratic elections. “I appreciate the cooperation with the international community, and especially with Ambassador Ahrens,” Albright declared, also pledging American support with observers and logistical assistance. (Continued on page 3)

The girl takes revenge because the prosecutor’s office had dropped the criminal case after the perpetrator disappeared Malesia e Madhe/Village: “Well done, girl, but it would have been better to kill that scoundrel” SHKODËR — Her name is Drande Lamaj and she is only 17 years old. A month ago, Pal Ukaj, a young man from Boriç in Malesia e Madhe, raped her. While she waited for the perpetrator to be arrested, the prosecutor’s office told her that the criminal case had been dropped. With the spirit of a true highland woman, she decided to take justice into her own hands. She grabbed a Kalashnikov and went to the house of the young man, who had disappeared, and took revenge in her own very distinctive way. She fired a burst at 70-year-old Ndrekë Ukaj, Pal’s father, accompanying it with the words: “You fathered that scoundrel who hides away in the mountains like me. I can’t kill him, but I can’t just sit here without taking revenge.” From that moment, the adolescent—who, judging by her actions, can hardly be called one—went home feeling relieved. The village, meanwhile, responded: “Well done, But the girl’s freedom would not last long. Yesterday the police put her in handcuffs without the slightest resistance, and afterwards she recounted all the reasons for the killing. “I killed the father of the man who took my honor.” page 12

The world’s largest and most specialized financial organization says it did not know about the pyramid schemes that were ripping off Albanians pages 16–17